Wednesday, March 28, 2012

Want to volunteer in the schools? Now's your chance.

Fort Carson has long had a program that provided soldiers to act as helpers in local schools.

It's gone pretty well overall. But there has been a major snag: Soliders get deployed. And that's meant that schools can't count on their military volunteers to be with them all year.

Thus, the mayor's office has come up with a solution: Get retired military and other locals to volunteer as well, providing some stability.

In case you're wondering if this is another potential setup for a Josh Carrier situation, rest assured that it shouldn't be. I recently spoke with City Economic Vitality Specialist Donna Nelson, who is heading the effort, on the issue. Nelson says all volunteers must go through a screening process. Perhaps more importantly, volunteers work only in classrooms alongside teachers, essentially acting as student aides. Nelson says a volunteer would likely work with kids who are already excelling or up-to-grade-level on course work, while the teacher concentrates his or her efforts on children struggling with a lesson.

Those who want to sign up for the program will soon have their chance. Read on:

Mayor hosts Adopt-A-School Call to Action

Mayor Steve Bach and his wife Suzi will host a “Call to Action” for the Adopt-A-School program on Thursday, March 29, at 2pm. This informational/recruitment meeting will be held at Fire Station 8 at 3737 Airport Road.

The Adopt-A-School program partners Fort Carson units and local schools, on and off post, to provide mentoring and tutoring to students. The program is made up of 37 units which connect with 35 schools. Partnerships include all schools in the Pikes Peak region. Volunteers are needed to tutor and mentor as well as offer stability and consistency in students’ lives.

In addition to Mayor and Mrs. Bach, speakers will include Colonel Jimmie O. Kennan and Command Sgt. Major Borelli, both from Ft. Carson.